


The Star to Every Wandering Bark

by Dryad



Series: Beauty is the Garden [1]
Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: F/M, early Morse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-10-12
Packaged: 2017-11-12 23:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/497040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dryad/pseuds/Dryad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 4:45am, January 1</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not mine, never will be.

~*~

"Sorry, pet."

Val grimaced and gingerly felt her jaw. Obviously Robbie did not  
mean to knock her with his elbow, but damnit, could the man not be  
more careful? As soon as she entertained the thought she felt guilty; it  
was _her_ fault she was on his side of the bed, it was only natural he  
should be sleepily awkward when reaching for the phone. For all that,  
she enjoyed the weight of him as he leaned over her, his familiar heat,  
and was struck anew by how fond she was of him.

She listened to him speak to his DCI in a low voice, heard the scritch of  
pencil against paper as he took down an address. He hung up, yet  
instead of haring off as usual when Morse called, stroked the side of  
her face gently. She said, "You off, then?"

"Yeah.You going to your Auntie's today?"

"Mm. Mum's dying to see our Mark and Lyn's desperate for her Gran's  
chocolate logs."

"Are you sorry you moved back?"

"What?" Val opened her eyes fully, stared at him in surprise.

He looked towards her shoulder, toyed with the ends of her hair,  
which had fallen out its ponytail. Again. "Robbie, what do you mean?"

A crease formed between his brows. "I know this isn't the life you  
wanted, copper for a hus-"

She managed to shift a little bit more onto her back before answering.  
"I knew what I was in for when we married, Robbie. And I'm glad to  
be back in Oxford. Not that I didn't love Newcastle...but this is my  
home, this is where I was born and bred. Mum marrying Declan and  
moving to Tyneside wasn't something I expected. I met you there,  
though, and that's what matters to me."

He nodded slowly, clearly thinking through something. "I'll call, later."

What on earth...Val watched him dress in the twilight of the room, the  
soft light of the bedside lamp not enough to reach to the far wardrobe.  
She liked that suit, the dark navy brought out the gray in his eyes. He  
looked professional and commanding, and she knew that if anyone  
from her college days could see him now, they would never believe he  
was the same man. She said, just loudly enough for him to glance back  
at her as he headed towards the door, "It's enough. You're enough."

Gracing her with the slightest of smiles, he slipped through the door,  
closed it gently behind, and was gone.

 

~*~ fin ~*~


	2. As Long As It's Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vauxhall Astra, 1986, 5-door, Silver

**~*~**

"We can't _afford_ it, Val!"

She threw her hands up in the air and shouted back. "I'm not asking  
you to buy another car, I just want to be able to use yours when  
you're not working!"

Robbie rubbed his forehead, wondered how on earth he could make  
her understand. "I _can't_ just let you take it whenever you want - "

"Are you not listening to a word I say?"

" - because I might get called out at any time. You _know_ this."

"Than maybe you should think about work less and me more."

At this he stopped and glared at her.

She turned away and sat down heavily at the dining table. "I'm sorry,  
I didn't mean that."

You did, he wanted to say. As often happened, he had a feeling they  
weren't fighting about the car. "Can't you borrow Aunt Cissy's when  
you need it?"

"Of course I can, that's not the point." Elbows on the table, with one  
hand Val suddenly covered her eyes. "I'm pregnant," she blurted.

Robbie was on his knees in front of her in an instant. Holding her  
close, he murmured, "It'll be alright, love."

She took a shuddering breath, whispered back, "I don't know if I can  
do this again, Robbie."

"Shh," he said, pulling her off the chair to sit on his lap. Heart thudding  
in his throat, he lied. "It's going to be fine. It's all going to be fine."

 

**~fin~**

**~*~**

**NOTE:**

This episode's title stems from the infamous quote about Henry Ford's  
Model T's: "You can have it in any color you want so long as it's black."  
Which isn't true, by the way, but it certainly sounds good.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching Morse to get further background on Lewis, and it has certainly thrown up some interesting light on Val. Not a lot of light, admittedly, but enough to get me thinking that Val is not Perfection. Nor, of course, is Robbie. He's certainly the same man, just different...
> 
>  
> 
> Writerverse prompts on livejournal: Crack of Dawn, Emergency, Enough
> 
> Series title from 'Rumi's Little Book of Life' - p. 96. trans. Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin. Red Wheel/Weiser. 2012
> 
> Story itle from Shakespeare's Sonnet #116
> 
> _"Let me not to marriage of true minds  
>  admit impediments; love is not love  
> which alters when alteration finds..."_


End file.
